Riding pillion on motorcycles banned in Sindh ahead of religious festivities

KARACHI: The Sindh government has imposed ban on riding pillion on motorcycles in five cities of this southern province of Pakistan for two days marking the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) amid serious security concerns.

The ban would be effective on Saturday and Sunday, the 11th and 12th days of Islamic month of Rabi-ul Awal as the jubilant Muslims take out big processions and rallies to celebrate Prophet’s birth anniversary.

The riding restrictions would be applied in Karachi, Hyderabad, Khairpur, Sukkur and Jamshoro cities for the two days.

Meanwhile, the office of the inspector general of police issued a detailed security plan for the processions of the anniversary festivities banning all kind of vehicular participations in the rallies except pedestrians.

A police statement said that pedestrians could only enter rallies from the picketed entry points and it would be ensured that no carts, cattle-driven carts, trucks, buses, mini buses, and coaches could enter the rallies.

The police also advised the organisers and the participants of the rallies to prohibit the entry of children and women in the processions and the rallies.

During the two days of celebrations around 300 rallies and processions would be taken out in which the clerics and religious personalities would deliver sermons. Some 5,000 policemen would guard those rallies.

Leaders of Sunni Tehreek, a politico-religious group that leads the anniversary processions, claimed that banned militant groups were against holding of such rallies.

Security concerns were high amid the ongoing operation against militants, who disapprove the observance of such rituals and thus the rallies remain exposed to terrorist attack.

In 2006, a powerful bomb killed at least 57 people including the top leadership of Sunni Muslims, at the Nishtar Park, where rituals culminate with the offering of sunset prayers and thousands of faithful gather at the huge ground.